Washington Post’s notoriously liberal fashion critic Robin Givhan attacked President Cheney’s interview on FOX News—because he was wearing a pink tie!
Cheney’s pink four-in-hand registered in the manner of pigtails on a gangsta rapper. In the parlance of hip-hop, the look is full of macho swagger and the not-so-subtle suggestion that even with the hairdo of a pre-adolescent girl, the rapper is still the toughest thing standing in the room. The incongruous sartorial flourish is a display of irony and confidence.Whether he intended it to do so or not, Cheney’s pink tie came across as a mocking nod to the culture’s well-trod—and often absurd—path to forgiveness after a public debacle: Pass through the valley of silence. Turn right at the big pit of self-righteousness. Wallow in spotlit contrition. Be sure not to look sweaty and shifty-eyed on camera. (“Oprah” appearance optional.)
Cheney’s pink-tie interview reminds one of another instance in which pink was an accessory to remorsefulness. In April 1994, Hillary Clinton—then the first lady—held her “pink press conference.” She sat in the State Dining Room dressed in a pink-and-black St. John knit suit to answer questions about Whitewater, her family’s finances and the $100,000 in profit she’d made trading cattle futures. During the course of her 66-minute exchange with reporters, she expressed regret for being less than forthcoming with the public.
### For less than half an hour, Cheney played the contrition game to silence the chattering classes. He jumped through their hoops and he appropriated their costumes. And he came out ahead.
She would know a lot about being “pretty in pink“. Yuck?
This isn’t the first time the “fashion critic” has critiqued the Vice President, she slammed his choice of attire at the Auschwitz ceremony last year.
In July she also slammed President Bush and Chief Justice John Roberts’ family, while celebrating the hair of former Senator and Vice President candidate John Edwards.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Register to comment here.
9:46 pm [ Quote ]
It takes a real man who is secure with his heterosexuality and his manhood to wear pink and not care about other’s opinions.
10:25 pm [ Quote ]
it just occurred to me, IAN, that from consistent reading of your posts, one might come away with the idea that the whole world is against poor, helpless conservatives. A conspiracy, maybe?
12:21 am [ Quote ]
Don’t like it, don’t read it.
12:46 am [ Quote ]
Odd though that a conservative would wear a pink tie.
I once had some “conservatives” threaten to beat the crap out of me for wearing a pink Polo shirt. Something about not being an “American color.”
So much for the “preppie look.”
That was during the Cold War, though.
2:42 am [ Quote ]
gayrepublican:
“the whole world is against poor, helpless conservatives. A conspiracy, maybe?
Maybe so. It seems all we do hear about are poor minorities who are spoken about but aren’t helped as much as they could be by rich Libs like Sharpton and Farrahkan, not to mention all those poor people (minorities) in N.O. that were ripped off by their own local Govt (that were dems).
But what about the poor in Kentucky and West Virginia, etc, who still hunt to put meat on the table (a 50 cent bullet can stuff a freezer with deer meat for months), shop regularly at Good Will and Salvation Army, live in mobile homes on a worthless (but affordable to them) flood prone strip of land b/t a river and a major road barely large enough to accomodate the trailer and maybe a car, etc, etc. The Elk River (WVa) has tons of these.
We never hear about them.
2:45 am [ Quote ]
Apollo, if someone goes to the lenght to blame your shirt as an excuse to beat you up then maybe they don’t like you.
No offense.
6:19 am [ Quote ]
I remember I was at work when we heard that Cheney was going to give Hume an interview. The first question that popped into all of our minds was, “I wonder what type of message he will send with his tie? Will he go with ‘deeply regret the incident’ red? Or, ‘it was totally the other guys fault’ green?”
Man, we talked about his tie selection all day, just like I’m sure Cheney did too.
Good Lord, the things people come up with just to bash a Republican is just unbelievable.
10:18 am [ Quote ]
EL GUAPO,
Maybe the fact that the folks you’re talking about have meat, freezers, and (mobile) homes, makes them a little less of a priority than those whose meat, freezers and homes were destroyed.
Aside from the fact that we do, actually, “hear about them” (just because you say we NEVER hear about them doesn’t make it so), thanks for confirming my tinfoil hat theory about conservatives. If you’re going to get yr panties in a bunch about the WaPo’s fashion critic knocking Cheney’s tie (and to be fair, it really was more of a comment on the whole circus, rather a diatribe against Cheney), then maybe it’s time to take a break from conservative blogs!
BTW, I thought Cheney looked sexy in pink!
11:00 am [ Quote ]
Likewise, saying “we do, actually ‘hear about them’” carries no weight if you can’t back it up with links. I certainly haven’t heard about the plight of the average appellation in recent years. Are you pretty sure it’s common knowledge?
You seem to think that Republicans think there is a conspiracy to discredit conservative values. That’s not true.
Conspiracies are by their very nature, secretive. The ACLU, moveon, media matters, etc. make no secret about their goals. It’s not a conspiracy if everyone knows about it. And every rational person knows the media is in general against conservatism.
Conspiracy theories are indeed as you suggest wholly owned by the left. The right is only exposing hypocracy, not conspiracy.
Nickname aside, are you pretty sure you aren’t a Democrat? Please take no offense, but you have the characteristics, such as ignoring the ridiculousness of using a tie to find deeper meaning into a debate.
12:49 pm [ Quote ]
elguapo,
There’s a lot of hate out there. But strangers on the street, calling you “commie” and threatening to beat you up—and basing it on the color of your clothes—is plain nuts. More gang mentality than anything else I’d say.
In that same town, I was once threatened by strangers for wearing a suit and tie. I’d just gotten off work, was meeting some friends in a bar, and ran into a pair of rednecks who told me “anyone in a suit this time of day is a fag” and deserved a beating. They had a anti-Clinton bumper sticker (or 20) on the back of their pickup.
I think it was more anti-gay attitudes (though I’m straight). It was a small town, and if you didn’t dress like the locals you pretty much got targeted (I’ve run into that in a lot of places I’ve lived).
But I look like crap in a CAT hat and baggy denim shorts.
I’ll stick with the Brooks Brothers suits and Ralph Lauren shirts, thank you.
1:54 pm [ Quote ]
Gayrepublican: check out my first post. I never got my men’s underwear in a bind over the pink tie criticism.
You make good points. But there are a lot of floods that destroy these feeble 500 -750 sq ft mobile homes, that are refurbished with rusted tin roofs and look like shantees that you’d see in Jamaica or Africa.
The point I was trying to make (I should have been more clear), is that poverty today is not like poverty in the pre-civil rights era. Poverty ultimately knows no color now. What it does know is excuses, poor money management, and lack of work ethic and motivation. All of which are common in poverished areas. Why did that run down trailer that is hugging a road and a polluted river in WVa have a satellite dish (I actually saw one that did), or why is this mother who is collecting welfare, but is not physically or mentally handicapped in any way, have a son with all this “bling bling? and spinning rims on his caddy? I have seen this too. Why do a lot of these poor people have tattoos? A tattoo is not a necessity, nor is that bling bling and a satellite dish. All this is proof that endless handouts will never get people motivated to bring themselves out of poverty.
Sorry Kevin, I can’t find any specific articles, that is why I said you never really hear about them. Other than this (http://www.catholicherald.com/cns/schmitt2.htm), my only suggestion is a “road trip?.
I am not a lib. I’m an American, and like Rush Limbaugh (not an ultra conservative, but I am conservative and traditional) – I call it how I see it, not how I want it to be. And as you point out, as of late I see democrats pulling conspiracy theories out of every crack in our highway system instead of focusing on what all the facts are, instead they focus on the facts that support their case, which directly involves omission of other facts. But both parties are guilty of doing this. This is interesting:
http://factcheck.org/ – DNC State of the Union Attack (and the one above it)
Back to topic before my post gets deleted
Who cares what who wears? I thought you had to graduate high school before entering politics or any other high paying job.
Apollo: yah that is messed up and they do not represent my values as a conservative. I dress ?preppy? too but still love my Levis. A little advice then, never go to bars alone, and start taking martial arts. I recommend Jiu-jitsu (because 99% of all street fights end up on the ground) and MMA.
7:46 pm [ Quote ]
I was agreeing with you elguapo
10:24 pm [ Quote ]
oh sorry.
add this to another list, the poor section over the wall of my complex, into one of the many city’s “poor sections” i can see an old run down car, no muffler, but sure as $#!t it has a bass system and a car alarm, and rims. If this guy hasa kid I am going to explode.
I guess his bling bling is more important than necessities. Another example of we need to teach at school Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, particulalry the Safety Needs that satisfies necessities before desires.
11:32 pm [ Quote ]
Hah! Here’s funny joke along the same lines as your last comment guapo. Liberals, don’t bother clicking the link, you won’t think it’s funny.